


Nothing Short of Wonderful

by royal_chandler



Category: X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Ficlet, M/M, Mpreg, No Beach Divorce, Post X-Men: First Class
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-29
Updated: 2017-05-29
Packaged: 2018-11-06 06:07:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11030208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/royal_chandler/pseuds/royal_chandler
Summary: Erik will be a remarkable father, Charles knows. He knows this because Erik already is one.





	Nothing Short of Wonderful

**Author's Note:**

> I'm currently working on sorting through my WIPs and found this under the title of "mini-fill" so it must have been a response to a prompt, more than likely from the first film's kinkmeme. Since that was circa summer of 2011, I don't remember what the actual prompt was unfortunately.

"That was quite the water break," Charles notes when Erik walks into their bedroom one evening. He sets Darwin’s _Descent of Man_ —an old friend he’d picked up when it became obvious that Erik had long forgotten about their second round of chess—aside and sidles up to Erik, smooths his hands over the taller man's strong and solid shoulders. He wraps his arms around Erik's neck and nuzzles at his jaw, feeling the tick and lock there. "Where’d you run off to? I'd actually grown to missing you."

"Pregnancy makes you almost nauseatingly affectionate," Erik comments but embraces Charles as close as he can.

Charles regards him with a raised brow. "Only almost?"

"Only almost," Erik says. He presses a kiss to Charles' mouth, soft and so sweet that it causes Charles' to think of romantic gestures like the fluttering of the heart and curling of the toes. Too distracted, Charles doesn't bother to keep the sentimental thoughts to himself. When Erik breathes a light laugh against the skin of his lips, Charles can only return the favor. 

Although Charles will admit to having become more affectionate than usual during the past four months, he hasn't been the only one. Erik also is gentler, in his ministrations, even in his approach to everyday life. The prospect of a child has turned his steel-like shell into a layer more along the lines of tin foil. Of course it's still there, always will be but this new unborn baby has done more work than Charles could have dreamt of doing on his own.

Erik nips at Charles' bottom lip quickly before pulling away and sweeping his hands along Charles' flanks. "I was with Alex. He had another nightmare last night and wanted to discuss it." Smart to anticipate Charles' worry, he adds hastily. "He's alright now." 

"Alright by whose definition? Erik, this is his third in nearly a week!" Charles steps away and goes to retrieve his robe that hangs over the back of the chair he'd previously occupied. "I'm going to his room."

His fingers have barely grasped the garment before Erik is at his side, stopping him with an intense gaze. "I assure you that's not necessary. This happens every year, you know that. Given the right amount of time, he’ll be fine.” His expression softens marginally. The small grin that graces Erik’s features, Charles is sure no one but himself would be able to catch. “Besides when I left his room, Hank was just around the corner. I’m sure that you’ll see the sense in preventing that sort of embarrassment. No one needs that stressful situation.” Erik brings Charles’ knuckles to his lips. “He’ll be fine, Charles. I promise you.”

“If he’d just let me—”

“It’s too risky. Unlike me, Alex has not intentionally buried his memories. He’s suffering from retrograde amnesia and has been for over a decade; we have no idea what effect your powers would have on his mind. It’s not an option.”

Charles has no counter argument for that. However, after a moment of contemplation, he honestly decides that he doesn’t want one. Erik’s right. Alex’s safety should be the first priority. It’s true that Alex has these reoccurring nightmares every year, whenever the heat rises considerably and the sky is at its most clear and vibrant blue, reminding the young mutant of the tragic day that a doomed flight had taken away Alex’s biological family. Knowing when to expect the dreams hardly makes them easier to deal with but fortunately they do pass with time. It’d be ill-advised to try and eradicate the memories. Even those ahead in evolution can’t always be victors over scars. Charles is well aware of that.

“You’re right,” he concedes with a tired sigh. “You’re completely right. It’s so frustrating—the entire thing—add in hormones and it’s exponentially so.”

“Danke,” Erik thanks quietly. “Get into bed. I’ll be right behind you.”

As if on cue, the soles of Charles’ feet let themselves known, beginning to ache. Charles waddles—wish as he may, there’s really no other word for it—to the mattress and settles onto the mountain of pillows stacked against the headboard. A few weeks earlier, Erik had assured that Charles’ side of the bed would be cloud nine on Earth. And like always when he falls onto the collection of down feather pillows, Charles is more than grateful. The sight of Erik changing into his nightwear, a threadbare pair of cotton pants, is also something Charles is grateful for.

“You two get one another,” he observes with pride minutes later. 

“What,” Erik starts, climbing into the bed and fitting to Charles’ side with the silent click of a puzzle piece, “are you going on about now?” His eyes don’t leave Charles’ as he locks the door with a flick of his wrist.

“You and Alex, you’ve bonded so effortlessly,” Charles clarifies. He reaches over to brush back hair that had escaped when Erik had taken off his turtleneck. With design, the tips of his fingers trace the curve of Erik’s ear.

“He’s a good kid. They all are. They all give me headaches,” Erik states. He laughs dryly but Charles hears the fondness. “And probably premature gray hairs; I’m afraid to check. But yes, Alex and I do have a common background so it’s a little easier. Pain shared is pain halved. Isn’t that what they say?”

“You’ve shared stories about yourself?”

“Do you know how bizarre it is that matters such as this elate you, Charles?”

“You’d never change it,” Charles insists, suddenly feeling very warm. Stroking Erik’s cheek, unable to stop touching him, Charles continues. “And it doesn’t elate me so much as please me to see you be so comfortable with the children. Not very long ago, I had imagined it, yearned for it but it’s a wonder to live it. That’s all, my friend.”

Color shows in the sharper contours of Erik’s face. To his credit, however, he remains rather serious. “I borrowed from tonight’s history lesson if you must know.”

“Oh,” Charles nods in understanding, not bothering to restrain his wide smile. “I’d almost forgotten about that.”

And they’re both aware of how untrue that is. From the latter part of Charles’ first trimester, Erik has been talking to their child quite enthusiastically whenever it’s just the three of them. It had started after a particular visit to the doctor’s office, after the physician had announced that if this pregnancy was chronologically identical to that of a female pregnancy, their child should be developing ears. Albeit not a stranger to science, Charles had been amazed at the news, marveling that the tiny being inside of him was rapidly turning into a person. Erik too had been taken with joy—speechless until gates soon collapsed under the weight of his many, many words.

Charles had never known that Erik knew so many words.

In intimate settings, Erik constantly regales their son or daughter with stories. He talks about the happenings of his day, how he's had to endure the crazy antics the child's aunt and uncles--Erik's epithets, not his own--have gotten up to and hopes that the baby won't be as rambunctious. He tells of his life prior to meeting Charles but it's the bright parts, the recollections that place a light in Erik's eyes that Charles had never seen before but finds pleasant and calming. 

“And what will our baby be hearing about this evening,” Charles asks, going back to carding his fingers through Erik’s hair. It matches the time that Erik takes in caressing his enlarged stomach.

“Meine Mutter.”

Oh yes, Erik’s also in favor of doing these lessons in German. Not incredibly familiar with the language, Charles is thankful to be a telepath, have the ability to find the meaning behind the words when they're put to life. However, this he gathers without having to sort through Erik's thoughts.

“Your mother,” Charles repeats, voice lowered in surprise.

“Ja,” Erik confirms.

"She would have been so proud of the wonderful father you've become, my darling," Charles assures him with a smile before taking the kiss he is given.

**fin**


End file.
